Death of the Liberal Class

The New Ohio presents the world premiere of this dark domestic comedy about liberal parenting, capitalist co-option, and losing (or finding) your edge. More…

A burned-out, left wing journalist retreats to the family farm for peace of mind. Then his teenage daughter arrives, bringing all the anger he’s left behind and her hacktivist boyfriend. When his wife shows up to negotiate their split, his newfound vision of being happy proves more elusive than he imagined. Inspired by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Chris Hedges's book of the same name.

"An intensely vivid dark comedy that makes you question your viewpoints on everything from infidelity to yardsticks for success, from progressive parenting to post capitalist apocalyptic scenarios...Robert Lyons has written a complex, multi-layered and thought provoking play...Director Jerry Heymann has ensured a great paced production full of beautifully conducted moments as he expertly dissected the remains of a bloated family corpse."
Full Review

"The play defies the dichotomous branding of 'liberal' and 'conservative'...'Death of the Liberal Class' is essential theater for the new generation-- where cultural, social, and political mores are constantly evolving, weaving together, and merging. Robert Lyons has given us exceptionally well-written characters."
Full Review

"'Death of the Liberal Class' takes a typical dysfunctional family narrative and raises the stakes with an economic conspiracy theory…Even though she only appears in three scenes, Olivia Horton particularly shines as Maggie…Horton approaches the work with a delightful truth and simplicity…How reassuring to see the New Ohio continue to take risks on new plays like 'Death of the Liberal Class.'"
Full Review

"This play is more dramatic than anything else, but it manages to insert a lot of dark humor into the mix. The way that the jokes seemed to seamlessly fall into line with the plot is something to commend...the laughs seemed to flow gradually and naturally...Overall, ‘Death of the Liberal Class’ was a very interesting and fun play to watch. Intimate, humorous, dramatic, and captivating are all words that would perfectly describe this play."
Full Review

"The sexual tension is palpable even with their eyes glued to their respective keyboards...Robert Lyons’ play asserts a very important message in this age of technology: that it can be both useful and destructive, but what it’s not, is sensual."
Full Review

"Ultimately, this play succeeds at getting you to care about the characters and their domestic issues, but not necessarily about the financial apocalypse that may or may not be rapidly approaching. The actors have great chemistry onstage…'Death of the Liberal Class' suffers from an inconsistent tone and a few metaphors that are never fully developed."
Full Review

"This could be the stuff of a fascinating play, but Robert Lyons hasn’t written one....'Death of the Liberal Class' is thin gruel that feels long even at a meager 70 minutes. The characters seem artificial and Jerry Heymann’s wooden staging does no favors to the writing or the cast. Chalk it up to the gap between theory and practice."
Full Review

"Unfortunately this script only scratches the surface of the issues it raises, getting to the meat of the matter in the last few scenes instead of diving more deeply earlier on. Somehow there is simultaneously too much exposition and not enough information...Perhaps this is the product of an incompletely drafted play meeting up with less than stellar directing."
Full Review

"'Death of the Liberal Class,' a muddle of a play tries to find bigger themes in a male schlub’s midlife crisis. But that’s asking too much of the story’s irksome, inconsistent characters…The notion of a younger generation calling out hypocrisy by actually taking the actions an older generation only bloviated about holds some appeal, but the play is more interested in validating several wearying middle-age fantasies."
Full Review

"Sometimes plays are so bad you get to actively enjoy how bad they are...But other times, darker times, plays are so bad they’re bad. They’re boring, dull, wastes of time and energy. Today we’re dealing with the latter...When I say it’s uninspiring, I mean it to the extent that I can’t be bothered to think of a decent hyperbole to end this sentence with. It’s the kind of play that is so bland it’s hard to know where to start."
Full Review